The Mini-Machine takes images and formats them so they can be printed out, sliced up, and used to represent characters and creatures in Table-Top Role Playing Games. What it creates are called Mini Sheets and this is an example of what one looks like. Here is what it takes to pull one together and make minis of it, from start to finish.

The site itself is a bit different from most in that all you need to do is prove you are not a robot to use it. There are no Passwords or User Ids to keep track of. However, it is not a storage facility. What you create here will only last for sixty minutes then expire. The general idea being that you upload your images, click a few buttons to create the sheet, and print it out - all in a matter of minutes - later on the site cleans itself up.

The sheets you create are yours to do with whatever you wish. Should you choose to share your sheets online or with other people then please only use artwork you own the rights to! In a way the Mini Machine is a bit like a public oven. It is open for anyone to use, but Chameleon Dream does not have the time nor the wherewithal to keep track of how people use it. If you are an artist whose work has been used in the creation of mini sheets, please take this up with whoever created the sheet. We literally know nothing about it.

And that is pretty much it. One big hint - if you get stuck, look for blue titles like the one at the top of this page. Plant your mouse on it and a help tip will appear. Move your mouse off and the tip disappears.

If you need plastic stands to put your minis in, be sure to check out Rolco Games. Its universal game stands are exactly what you need. Buy a bunch in different colors and you are set for life.

If you are interested in staying abreast of Chameleon Dream and its future creations, use the form below to join our mailing list. We'll even remove the ad at the bottom of the page for doing so (just be sure to Start Up the machine before you do). If you want off the list, pop your email in the box and click Remove. That works too.

Start Me Up

To begin, all you have to do is prove you are not a robot by looking at the image below, figuring out what it is asking for and popping the answer in the box. Click the start button to send it through.

If you seem to be having problems with the site, check your browser settings. The Mini-Machine relies heavily on javascript to do what it does. It also needs to plant a cookie on your browser to know who you are. Without either of these you will not get far.

The site was built using Firefox as its primary test platform. It should also work equally well with Google Chrome. Beyond that we cannot vouch for anything.

Preferences

Mini Size

Pixels Per Inch

Include Name

Image Ghosting

These settings apply to the sheet the site creates.

Change them to fit your needs and click Save Changes when finished.

Image Ghosting controls the opacity of the image on the reverse side of a forward-facing mini. It helps identify the mini from its backside while still letting you know which way the mini is facing.

While you can crank the reverse image up to 100%, this is not recommended. Sideways-facing minis do not use ghosting.

Choose Yes to place the name of the sheet at the bottom of each mini. Choose No to leave it blank.

Most of the time the mini stand will cover the name of a mini. It's purpose is to make minis easier to gather together and store in between games.

This scales minis to the game you plan to use them with. It connects to the step used, aka the size each hex or square on the battle mat is supposed to be.

Small.Use with games where each step is five feet in length.

Medium.Use with games where each step is three feet, a yard or a meter - such as Chameleon Dream's own Red Eft system.

Large.This creates standee minis where each square is supposed to be two feet or less. These are rare and not recommended without good reason.

On the sheet of minis the machine creates you may notice a small graphic that looks like this.

When printed out it should equal one inch. If not then your printer is not printing at 96 pixels per inch.

This setting lets you move that value up or down to fit what your printer does create.

If the scroller is taking to long to move simply type in a value.

The editor is divided into three main parts. Off to the top right are the buttons which control the sheet itself.

Insert - This adds an image to the sheet. It needs to be a jpeg image and less than 5mb in size.

Sheet - This opens the printable sheet in a separate window.

Rename - This renames the sheet.

Delete - This deletes the sheet.

Note the number on the sheet's index entry. This is the number of minutes left until the sheet automatically deletes itself. Doing anything will reset this timer, but after 60 minutes of inactivity it will be gone.

Be sure to save what you create!

Mini Display - In the center of the page sits the minis themselves. Click one to load it into the mini editor.

Mini Editor - On the right is the mini editor. It change various aspects like facing and fold. Click Save to store the changes you make. Click Erase to remove it from the sheet.

Printing Tips - Use good heavy paper, such as 28lb ink jet paper with a 98 brightness. Also check your printer settings. If Print Background Colors is off the number spots will not print. To keep things in proportion, be sure to uncheck Shrink To Fit. You want the page scale at 100%.

This color the number spot on the mini. Use it to group together similar minis.

The first set of colors are bright with black text. The second set are dark with white text.

It is good to remember that colors often appear brighter on screen than in print.

This places the spot on the left or right side of the mini.

With sideways facing minis it is good to place the spot on the side the mini is facing.

The number of times you want the mini to appear on the sheet. Type in 200 to create a small army of replicants!

A minis spot will be numbered so you can tell replicated minis apart, here in the editor it shows us the count.

This lets you control the apparent size of a mini in inches. The default of 72 is what you would use for a 6' tall character. Need a 12' ogre? Try 144.

As you change this value the mini above will grow in size to match it. The bar off to its left is a ruler giving you the visual equivalent in feet.

The ruler itself will change every so often to accomodate very large or small minis. If the spinner is taking too long, try typing in a value.

Front minis are those where the character appears to be facing the viewer. Its reverse side is a ghosted out version of the front side. Its spot is a square.

Sideways minis are those where the character appears to be facing left or right. Both sides will be printed in full color. Its spot is a circle.

This controls where the mini should be folded. On this page it shows up as a silver dotted line in the thumbnail display.

Top - is recommended since it is the easiest fold to make.

Side - should only be used with large minis that will not fit vertically on a page.